With the increased interest in stringed musical instruments, such as guitars, there is a corresponding increase in the need to expand the range of sounds that are generated. The generation of unique sounds not only assures that the instrument remains interesting to listeners, but also increases the variety of musical formats which may be supported by these instruments. Additionally, an artist who is more versatile, due to the increased number of sounds which can be generated, has a greater chance to achieve commercial and professional success.
As a result, a variety of picks and fingering devices have been developed to assist guitarists and other musicians in the generation of sound from stringed instruments. One such device is a guitar slide disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,762 which allows a musician to contact one or more strings. The short length of the '762 guitar slide covers only the tip of the musician's finger; i.e. the first knuckle is not covered. Parallel and spaced apart flats, i.e. flat side surfaces defined on opposite sides of the guitar slide, tend to orient the guitar slide to result in only narrow separation between the musician's fingers.
While the above device is known, the most commonly used guitar slides are probably hollow cylindrical tubes, typically manufactured of glass, steel or brass. Such a slide is worn over the entire length of one of the musician's fingers, allowing contact between the outside surface of the slide with guitar strings. While such slides may be used to produce the desired effect, there is generally too much movement between the musician's finger and slide. Such movement results in a wobbly or insecure feeling which may require extra attention on the part of the musician, and may not result in the performance desired.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an improved guitar slide having a structure that results in more secure attachment to the musician's finger. The guitar slide should provide improved ability to allow the musician's finger to bend, while still covering a substantial portion of the finger. The guitar slide should additionally provide a means to allow an adjacent finger to be used to stabilize the guitar slide in a manner which cooperates with the structures resulting in more secure attachment to the musician's finger.